Agenda item

Following the tree planting season, the Committee will receive a report updating on the council’s tree planting activity.

Contributors:

Cllr Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Environment

Steve Bambrick, Service Director for Planning & Environment

Ed Barlow, Head of Climate Change & Environment

Alex Beckett, Energy & Climate Change Manager

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Environment introduced the report to Members and the following points were highlighted in the presentation:-

·       The Government’s England Tree Action Plan 2021-24 set out a target of 30,000ha woodland being planted annually.

·       The Council was committed to planting 543,000 trees by 2032 as part of the Bucks Tree Mission launched in 2021. 5,860 trees had planted in the first year.

·       Trees provided a wide range of ecosystem services including provisioning, supporting, regulating and cultural. Tree planting had several considerations including soil type and suitability, commercial aspects, stakeholder access and the historic environment.

·       £203,000 had been secured in 2021/22 from the Local Authority Treescapes Fund which benefited three charities, two Parish Councils and Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB).

·       £28,000 had been secured in 2021/22 from the England Woodland Creation Offer for contractor planting at Billet Field. To date, 3,450 trees had been planted at the site. The contractor, Pryor and Rickett Silviculture, was responsible to plant (5 years) and maintain the trees (5 years). Maintenance included clearing weeds (without chemical weedkillers), inspecting and minor repairs to fences and gates, dead tree replacement, grass cutting on walking route and litter removal.

·       The Council had been featured in a Forestry Commission case study in January 2022 regarding the Bucks Tree Mission and climate change.

·       £138,000 had been set aside to replace 158 trees that had been removed from the public highway due to disease or safety concerns. Currently, 146 of these trees had been planted.

·       A 50ha site in east Buckinghamshire had a natural break in tenancy contract which was now viable for a Forestry England Woodland Partnership scheme. This site had the potential to plant over 100,000 trees.

·       Three potential contractor planting sites were located near High Wycombe (5ha and 7.1ha) and Amersham (7.44ha) with one of these sites currently supporting crop production. These could accommodate 41,700 trees.

·       Due to increased external funding support and optimising procurement, expenditure towards the entire Bucks Tree Mission was expected to remain within earmarked budget.

·       A successful 2022-23 application for Miyawaki ‘Tiny Forests’ would have the benefit of a scheme that grew three times faster thereby realising benefits sooner.

·       Further value of the tree planting scheme was carbon offsetting, which continued to increase dramatically, increase biodiversity and mental health wellbeing.

The following points were noted during the Select Committee discussion:-

·       The arrangement for £138,000 allocated towards roadside trees included the proviso that TfB would provide their own trees. These trees would be at least 10 years old so were more expensive to establish compared to whips. It was clarified that the Highways areas in the report (Aylesbury Vale, High Wycombe and Amersham) related to the TfB depot locations which serviced the whole county.

·       The trees selected in the programme design had taken into account Forest Research of a temperature change based on two degrees of latitude south of a site. Where possible, tree stock would be secured from British nurseries however procurement overseas may be required. Members requested that Black Poplar be included if it meets this remit given its association with Buckinghamshire and that the IPCC’s increased 3.2°C projection should also be considered.

·       Community Boards could choose to supplement the central tree planting scheme by funding applications based on local tree planting projects.

·       It would be investigated whether TfB could use non-chemical weedkiller for maintenance.

·       Woodland carbon units were trades under a Government backed scheme. Historically, these traded at £10 per unit (one tonne CO²) and now traded at £24 per unit. The current trend could see this value reaching £200 per unit in 2030.

·       Chiltern Rangers was running a project to facilitate schools and pupils with the germination of tree seeds.

·       The Cabinet Member saw merit in the suggestion that the Council consider developing its own in-house tree nursery and/or supporting a local tree-nursery business. The Chairman noted that Lindengate specialised in looking after Black Poplars.

·       The contractor at Billet Field, Pryor and Rickett Silviculture, had removed vermin from the site before planting. The procurement of the maintenance contract at Billet Field ensured the contractor replaced trees that failed so it was in their interest to consider long-term pest deterrence.

·       Further work was required to consider how the Council offset residual carbon. The Woodland Carbon Code was a Government backed scheme that was one of few recognised methods to officially offset carbon emissions.

·       One Member noted the importance of balancing land usage between tree planting and food production for food security.

The Chairman noted that a further update on this would come back to the Select Committee in future and thanked the Cabinet Member and officers for the report.